Getting Away With Murder

[I have been waiting to post on this for a while because I have been trying to assess my own feelings about it.  A new revelation was brought about this morning, and it really helped me to solidify how I felt.  I hope I don't offend anyone because that is the furthest thing from my intention.  If I do, I apologize up front, and sincerely hope you will leave a comment expressing your own point of view- We all have our own.  This is mine]:

How silly is this Stand Your Ground Law in Florida?  Does this make sense to anyone?

Don't get it twisted-  If someone entered my house intrusively, or threatened my children physically, the claws are comin' out, and Momma Bear is coming after you.  I would do WHATEVER it took to protect and defend.  

But this law does not deter murders from happening and it does not ward off criminals.  No.  It does the complete opposite!  It encourages violence, promotes conflict, intensifies fear and paranoia, 

and allows for misinterpreted "threats" to turn into a tragic and senseless murders.

Treyvon Martin's murder was a total tragedy; awful in every way.  But was it the racially driven hate crime that it has been made out to be?

This would be a tragedy regardless of race, age, gender or  sexual orientation, would it not? 

He is a person.  He could be MY son.

The real issues here are:
* the total neglect shown to the victim's side of the story,

* the utter ignorance of the police department to do a comprehensive investigation,

* and the LAW itself, which states:  
"(a) person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death..."

These are the REAL tragedies.  We're doing ourselves (and Treyvon) a disservice by classifying this as a racially charged event.  
This is a HUMAN event!

What's even more unfortunate is how the media has manipulated the situation:
The Today Show edited the 911 transcript to fit a particular angle.
They spun the story.  They doused an existing fire with kerosine.

Here is how NBC handled the 911 call:

"Zimmerman: This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black."

Here is how the 911 call ACTUALLY went:

"Zimmerman: This guy looks like he's up to no good. Or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy - is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black."

 Look at what effect the media has had on this. 
Zimmerman only mentioned Treyvon's race when he was asked by the dispatcher.

Today Show- HOW could you do this?  Why?  Do you know how heavily you contributed to the problem?   
Are we in LA LA LAND??? 

The saddest part of this whole thing is that there is a life lost. 

I would love to see this Zimmerman dude arrested and face a jury of his peers.  I would love to see him charged with murder and have his guilt or innocence determined by a fair and thorough trial process.

I see people using this awful event as an excuse for hate, for more disagreement, for unnecessary outrage.  That's not what Treyvon deserves.  He deserves more than that.

Treyvon should be a symbol of something much more beautiful, much more profound.  We should be injecting LOVE into the core of this situation.  We should be honoring him by bringing to light the actual events that took place, and we should be honoring him by bringing him justice.

Race is not the issue here.
In fact, I believe it is taking away from the real issue:
A legal system that allows people to get away with MURDER.

This should not be about ME and YOU.  Or ME against YOU.  Or YOU against THEM.  This should be about one thing:  Justice.

Note: I am not insensitive to the fact that hate crimes happen.  My views in this blog post pertain specifically to this situation, and do not fully reflect how I view racial issues or hate crimes in a general sense.  These are complicated social and human issues, and I am in no way condoning, dismissing, or making light of them. 

Kindly~

Meghan